If Major League Baseball had a relegation system in the manner of English Premier League soccer, the Miami Marlins never would have dreamed of giving up on the 2013 season the way they seemingly did with their controversial offseason salary dump.

Could the lack of help around him lead to Giancarlo Stanton pressing at the plate? (AP Photo)

The Marlins didn’t just send Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package of maybes. They didn’t just slash $160 million in future obligations and take a club-record $90 million payroll down to about $40 million.

The Jeffrey Loria-owned team sacrificed whatever momentum it had built up in the community and angered Miami politicians and taxpayers by squandering the (largely) publicly funded gift of Marlins Park.

"We had to turn back the clock for the moment and push the restart button," Loria said, "and get these young players in here and get them together and look where we are in another year or so."

However, it’s hard to see how the 2013 Marlins will avoid challenging their ’98 predecessors for most losses (108) in franchise history. It will be up to new manager Mike Redmond—he broke in as a backup catcher as one of 19 rookies on that Jim Leyland-led abomination—to coax maximum effort and production from a group that’s either painfully young or openly upset.

Giancarlo Stanton, who went public with his dissatisfaction after the Jays deal, returns in right field. Stanton, who already has 93 big-league homers at age 23, also has been the subject of trade speculation but still is another year from arbitration eligibility.

Veteran righthander Ricky Nolasco requested a trade, but the Marlins needed somebody to anchor their rotation so they kept him around (for now). Touted but unproven righthanders Jacob Turner and Nathan Eovaldi, acquired last July in deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers (Hanley Ramirez) and Detroit Tigers (Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante), respectively, will join Nolasco in the rotation.

Henderson Alvarez, the most experienced ex-Blue Jay the Marlins kept from their megadeal, also has a starting job. Lefty Wade LeBlanc will round out the group.

Rob Brantly, acquired in the Tigers deal, will handle the catching duties. Slick-fielding shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria takes over for Reyes, but there are concerns about his offense.

Logan Morrison, coming off another knee procedure, moves from left field back to his natural position of first base. He’ll be joined on the right side of the infield by second baseman Donovan Solano, who impressed during a second-half audition in 2012. Veteran Placido Polanco was signed to play third base, but there are concerns about his troublesome back.

Juan Pierre, a popular link to the 2003 World Series winners, returns and will see the bulk of time in left field. Justin Ruggiano, a late-blooming revelation last season, will handle center.

Side-arming Steve Cishek, who nailed down 14 of 15 save chances after replacing Heath Bell at midseason last year, returns in the closer role. The setup crew includes lefties Mike Dunn and Dan Jennings, along with righthander Ryan Webb.

A third consecutive last-place finish, about the only thing this oddball franchise has yet to experience, would surprise no one.

3 REASONS TO BELIEVE

Mr. Dependable: Giancarlo Stanton. Barring a major surprise, fans in South Florida won’t have much to cheer this season. Except, that is, the exploits of the team’s 23-year-old right fielder. Stanton widely is considered the game’s top young slugger, and by a long shot. A knee injury limited him to 123 games last season, but he still hit 37 homers and .290/.361/.608. Also encouraging: Stanton’s numbers have improved each season.

X-factor: Logan Morrison. Based on potential, Morrison once was considered on the same level as Stanton. Close to it, anyway. But Morrison has yet to prove he can produce consistently in the majors. For the Marlins to avoid 100 losses—and for Stanton to see hittable pitches—Morrison must live up to some of his potential. One problem: September knee surgery has made him questionable for opening day.

On deck: Adeiny Hechavarria. When the Marlins acquired Yunel Escobar and Hechavarria in their salary-dump trade with the Blue Jays, most assumed Escobar would be Miami’s new shortstop. But the Marlins flipped Escobar to the Tampa Bay Rays and anointed the 23-year-old Cuban the new shortstop. Hechavarria is a slick defender with the skills to eventually be a dangerous leadoff hitter.

— Stan McNeal

TEAM SNAPSHOT

OFFENSE: After finishing 29th in the majors in runs in 2012, the Marlins don’t figure to be any more potent this season. It will be up to Stanton to provide nearly all the power, a responsibility that could lead the rising young star to press.

DEFENSE: Hechavarria arrives with a reputation for slick fielding, but he has a lot to learn. Pierre should be better than Morrison in left field, but the oversized outfield at Marlins Park makes the lack of a proven center fielder even more glaring.

ROTATION: Top prospect Jose Fernandez might reach the majors by the All-Star break, making Miami’s rotation younger (and better). Until the group matures, however, the starters will take their lumps.

BULLPEN: Dumping Bell on the Arizona Diamondbacks and letting Cishek close from the start should help. But the team needs more experience in the setup and situational departments.

BENCH: When you have such a small payroll, your bench isn’t going to be very experienced. Infielder Greg Dobbs is still around. Jeff Mathis, a career .198 hitter in the majors, will platoon with Brantly behind the plate once healthy (broken collarbone).

SCOUT’S VIEW

A major league scout analyzes 1B Logan Morrison:

“I just thought his body looked slow when I saw him last year. He really looked sluggish, including his bat speed. He’s a bad outfielder, so it’s probably good for all concerned that he’ll be moving back to first. Could he still be a quality bat? Yes. ... Maybe the position change will help. Maybe he was caught in the middle in terms of his physique. He might have needed to be sleeker to play the outfield and that might have hurt him at the plate. For me, Morrison is kind of like Jeremy Hermida at the same stage of their careers. If guys like that lose bat speed, they can fall off in a hurry. It wouldn’t surprise me either way with Morrison. He still might take off. Then again, he might not.”

KEY STAT

Only two teams in the majors blew more saves last year than the Marlins (22). That was mainly due to Bell’s early-season meltdown (four blown saves by May 4), which pretty much guarantees this ownership never again will pay a closer $9 million a year.

2013 OUTLOOK

What could go right: Maybe Stanton keeps his head down and rakes his way toward a future megacontract (somewhere). Maybe Redmond turns out to be another Joe Girardi in terms of speeding the transition for the latest group of painfully young Marlins.

What could go wrong: If Stanton, Nolasco, Morrison and anybody else with service time starts begging off the roster and the gutted lineup fails to support a promising pitching staff, Marlins Park could become a ghost town in just its second year of existence.

Bottom line: Deep down, even Loria has to know he has set his franchise up for long-term failure, along with another long-term rebuilding project. This might not result in a franchise record for losses, but it could be a depressing baseball summer in Little Havana.